Yellowstone Insider Your Complete Guide to America's First National Park
Overall recreational visits were 17,388, down 4 percent from the 18,107 recorded in December 2009. This reflects a decrease in the number of people who entered the park by automobile, RV, or bus, down 9.35 percent from 9,484 to 8,678.
The number of people who entered the Park on guided snowmobile and snowcoach trips was 9,409, up 1.2 percent from the 9,298 oversnow visitors in December 2009.
The number of snowcoach passengers entering the Park was 5,059, up 5.7 percent from 4,786 in December 2009. The number of people entering the park on guided snowmobile tours dropped 3.6 percent from 4,512 in December 2009 to 4,350 this year.
An average of 181 snowmobiles and 41 snowcoaches a day operated in the park from the December 15 start of the winter season to the end of the month. The daily snowmobile average is down 9 from the same period a year ago, with the daily snowcoach average up 5 from December 2009. The peak day for snowmobiles was December 27 when 280 snowmobiles were in the park. The peak day for snowcoaches was December 28, when there were 68 snowcoaches operating in Yellowstone.
Snowmobile and Snowcoach Visitation
| Dec. 2010 | Dec. 2009 | Dec. 2008 | Dec. 2007 | |
| Snowmobiles – Daily Average | 181 | 190 | 233 | 365 |
| Snowmobiles – Peak Day | 280 (12/27) | 293 (12/29) | 426 (12/29) | 557 (12/28) |
| Snowcoaches – Daily Average | 41 | 36 | 39 | 45 |
| Snowcoaches – Peak Day | 68 (12/28) | 58 (12/27) | 53 (12/27) | 60 (12/26) |
These peak and daily average figures are based on daily park entries as well as snowmobile and snowcoach travel originating from Old Faithful. Only the daily park entry figures are recorded online at http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/.
Access to the interior of the park is restricted to oversnow travel from December 15 through March 15. The North Entrance and the road from Gardiner, Montana, through Mammoth Hot Springs on to Cooke City, Montana, outside the park’s Northeast Entrance, is open to wheeled vehicle travel all year.
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